The Little Mermaid’s Foggy City

 
Alrighty then, the mighty catch-up continues! Last was Ireland, a destination which could have done with a car. Next is a destination where you would look silly in one! Copenhagen is my one Scandinavian stop and I made it four nights in the hopes of seeing as much as possible. I am lucky to have a friend in Copenhagen who was dedicated to making sure I had the best stay possible. Arriving at Københavns Lufthavn (Copenhagen Airport) in the early afternoon, I was met by a (somewhat unexpected) greeting party of my friend Ali, his father, and sister. Taking the quick and efficient public transit, they showed me to an apartment they had booked on my behalf for the duration of my stay.  Even less than a hostel (especially those in Copenhagen which start around €28) I had a private room, bathroom, and very mini kitchenette. By some fluke, a neighbour had open wireless internet so that was included as well! Ali and his family had a wedding reception to attend that evening, so I was left on my own to do what I saw fit. The lovely weather of Copenhagen rearing its rainy self was a convenient excuse for me to stay in all evening, catch up on sleep, and get in touch with friends. Before I move on however, I must comment on the Copenhagen mass transit. They have two levels (that I personally observed/used) of railway, an older under/above ground rail network, and a new under/above rail network. Each has different routes, but the new ones have the very eerie difference of being driverless. It isn’t all that odd in a day when planes completely fly themselves from takeoff to landing, but is still a little disconcerting being at the front of the train where the driver SHOULD be, watching fast approaching rail and stations, the train waiting until dangerously last minute to brake. Not for the faint of heart, sit at the back.

After a very restful night of sleep, I was awoken by knocking at my door at the extremely lazy hour of 10AM. It was Ali with breakfast and sandwiches for me. After admitting how little I knew about Copenhagen, I was tasked with searching online for sights I would like to see. We walked through the lovely city of Copenhagen around noon, making our way to the river where we took a cruise to get acquainted with the city from the water. Like all of Europe at the moment Copenhagen is going through some autumn related weather issues, universally meaning cold and wet. We braved each of these and stayed outside on the river cruise, taking in the guide’s alternating German and English commentary. Copenhagen has a dynamic and modern waterfront, from a sparkly new opera house, to high rent apartments made from a former torpedo boat repair facility. Like many cities, it was founded because of its strategic location for trading by water, and the effects of this are evident from its oldest warehouses to its newest glass and concrete giants. While travelling through the city it can be easy to confuse this wide long body of water with being a river (I made that mistake myself), but it is in fact a strip of tidal oceanic water completely separating the South East part of Copenhagen from the mainland. An intricate layout of canals runs through the city, facilitating the mooring of many pleasure craft, and if careful, the navigation of the tour boat through the heart of the city. Once you step away from the canals though, the city becomes remarkably similar block to block. The same building plan seems to have been used city wide, calling for five storey tall buildings, of similar width, and extremely similar design. This doesn’t have the expected effect of boring monotony, but a charm special to Copenhagen where the architectural interest is not in shape, but in the small details. After our tour, we took our very cold selves back to the apartments, and said goodbye until supper when I was invited to Ali’s for. The supper was delicious (first home cooked meal since I left my own home) and the company even better. I enjoyed getting to know his family and get a small glimpse of the culture they come from, his mother and father having emigrated from the Sudan. We planned the next day and I returned to my apartment quite stuffed.

The next day promised to be a lot of fun, starting with Vor Frelsers Kirke  (The Church of Our Saviour), famous for its towering spire offering panoramic views of Copenhagen. Heading out with Ali and his younger brother Omer, we got to the church, and climbed to the very top, excited for the scenic vista that drew us to the top. Well, again the weather spited the off season tourist, and threw up a fog blanket too thick to see far from the base of the church, but not defeated, we enjoyed the fresh air from above the sounds of the city below, and made it to the very top of the spire on its exterior staircase. From the church we wandered across town on foot, getting only mildly lost, eventually reaching the Kastellet (Citadel) to meet another of my Danish friends. Celebrating several hundred years of use, an all day concert was staged featuring various bands from the military and others from the civilian side. My friend Mikkel was playing with one of the bands he volunteers in. All three of us met at Tattoo 2009 when their band, the Copenhagen Police Band visited Tattoo. Ali and I watched and enjoyed the music, some of it familiar to me, while Mikkel did all the work. Poor Mikkel. After the concert I was invited back to Mikkel’s house, in what could be called the suburbs of Copenhagen. Driving back, I got the chance to meet Mikkel’s parents and learn more about Copenhagen’s history, and some interesting things about its present. I also got to hear about his parent’s recent trip through Nova Scotia while Mikkel was in Tattoo, and their subsequent trip across Canada afterwards. They gave me their impressions on NS and Canada, and also made it quite clear that it (unfortunately) rained quite a lot while they were there. Arriving in the suburbs, I was surprised to see how different it felt from in the city. North American looking bungalows stretched from one end of the street to the other, unimposing and modern. Mikkel’s mom kept us well fed with chips and other snacks while Mikkel introduced me to the Danish Comedy trip Olsen-banden (The Olsen Gang) who I assure you are in NO way associated with the Olsen twins. His parents also delighted in showing me all of the pictures from Mikkel’s youth of him dressed in his uniform for Tivoli Gardens Marching Band, where he has been a member of the band since he was a wee child. I am relatively sure Mikkel almost rolled his eyes right out of his head during this exposé; don’t we all just love our childhood photos? Taking the train back to Copenhagen, I was met by Ali and we went back to his apartment where I met some of his family who were visiting for the wedding.

The next day was my own to discover Copenhagen. While Ali attended classes, I wandered the city, seeing some things I had missed before, enjoying strolling down Europe’s longest pedestrian street, and getting a feel for the local culture without a convenient translator. Language is not an issue in Copenhagen, while many Copenhageners speak English fluently; the rest understand at least enough to get through simple transactions and inquiries.  Danish is the mainly spoken language, but hearing English on the street is common. I wandered into the Copenhagen City Museum (the only museum open on a Monday) and caught up on Copenhagen’s history through the wonderfully designed exhibits. All the exhibits are in Danish and English, and while the collection is complete, it doesn’t feel finished, and I believe that the newly constructed exhibits have yet to weather a full tourist season. Admission was cheap at 20DKK (around $4CAD), and I could have spent more time there, but it closed and I was given the boot after only a couple hours of viewing.

I met up with Ali and Mikkel at Ali’s place, and after some supper, we headed off to the Copenhagen Police Band’s weekly rehearsal. Meeting a bunch of characters I remembered from Tattoo, I enjoyed hearing them play some familiar arrangements, and some songs I’d never heard. The musicians are wonderfully friendly and inviting, and I had a great time spending the evening with them. It was a great stop for my last evening in Copenhagen, a chance to catch up with some friends.

I guess this is where I sum things up, one would think I had this figured out by now. It’s difficult trying to take Copenhagen in perspective with things I had done before visiting Copenhagen, when in reality I’m writing this from Amsterdam, so I won’t try. Copenhagen was a very sudden transition from the lifestyle in the British Isles, the pub attitude in England and Scotland, the hardcore party attitude of Ireland. No longer is an ale with lunch accepted (and to some extent expected), a beer with supper the norm. And in retrospect, it isn’t similar to the rest of my experience in Europe either. Drinking culture (since I’ve focused on it so much thus far, why stop now) in Copenhagen is more about ONE glass of fine wine with a formal dinner, and no more; two drinks make one an alcoholic. Things change around 10PM when Copenhagen becomes similar to the rest of Europe, the youth flocking to the streets to let off some steam, but you can blame that on the Westernised youth. The Isles have their pubs, the rest of Europe I have seen thus far has an amazing cafe culture, but in Copenhagen I struggled to find any of these ‘typical’ social gathering spots. There were cafes, but they seemed geared to tourists and very quiet in the off season. Pubs were present, but sparsely patronized, and most beer drinking took place in restaurants. But walking home one day, I looked into the window of a house and I think I made my own personal discovery as to why this may be. I already have the feeling that  socialisation in Scandinavia is far more personal, and the scene in the window of several young adults together on a weeknight with a smorgasbord of a buffet solidified this for me. Social gatherings seem more intimate, hosted in one’s house not at the cafe. Friends get together over a home cooked meal rather than pub fare. It is the sort of social atmosphere which would be great for a local, but is lacking for a tourist. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy Copenhagen. Lucky for me, I had Ali and Mikkel who were more than welcoming into their own houses. As for the design of the city, Copenhagen is stunning. Wide boulevards allow for multiple lanes of traffic, large bike lanes in both directions, wide sidewalks, and centre medians. Surprisingly no tram network exists having been torn out in the 70’s. According to my friends, the ease of biking in Copenhagen has influenced locals choice of transportation enough that Copenhagen has the fewest cars per capita of any European capital, a proud title indeed! Other things I appreciated were: visiting my first country where people drive on the right side of the road; a city where people depend less on taxis (and far more on green methods of transport);  the sight of wind turbines on the horizon; by far the flattest city I have visited to date; and quite a lot more, easiest to see in some of my photos. On the green side (literally), the lakes, parks, tree lined streets, and other small additions all bring a very natural feel to even the heart of this bustling centre of Scandinavian business and commerce.

I truly enjoyed my time in Copenhagen, although as an offseason traveller, the stop was (by necessity) far less touristy. I thoroughly enjoyed strolling through the streets, catching up with friends, and FINALLY having a room to myself. What have I ultimately taken away from Copenhagen? I need to go back to Scandinavia when the weather is more agreeable and see far more. I know there is a lot to see in the vast expanse of the north. I suppose that’s another trip for another time.



PS: NO, I DIDN’T take a photo of the Little Mermaid.  But for those of you who MUST have a photo, here, from someone else, is The Little Mermaid.